Cook: Baked Asian Tilapia with Green Beans

Three day weekends are glorious, aren’t they? Three day weekends that feel like three day weekends are even more so. Three day weekends in which I get to relax, go hiking, enjoy the sun, try (in vain) to get some color on these legs while sitting outside on my stoop to write a long, long overdue blog post, well those are what dreams are made of.

I think lately I’ve been doing a really good job of just living. I’m in the process of finishing my Masters, my Fellowship, and transitioning to a new job, and moving apartments, and to tell you the truth it’s a little frightening. I mean, good-frightening, for sure, but frightening none the less. I’m finding that I feel most at ease either in my kitchen, or outside, and I’m letting myself just do that. That’s what three day weekends are best for, no? Doing the things you like to do, when you like to do them, at the pace in which you like to do them.

Also, parking spots. My street is lousy with parking spots because everyone’s away at their well appointed Summer homes. Suckers.

To ease back into this space, and hopefully bribe you into forgetting my long absence, I bring to you a fresh tasting, easy-as-pie weeknight recipe that is light enough to counteract all of the barbecue you’ll be consuming today and tomorrow.

Let’s get to it!

Start with the fish. Lay two pieces of foil, slightly overlapping, onto a baking sheet, and add one tilapia filet and a bunch of green beans around it.

Pour the sauce evenly over the fish and green beans, then seal the packet by bringing the two long ends together, wrapping around the fish, and the other two opposite ends together meeting at the top, then folding down until the entire thing is tightly wrapped in foil.

Bake that in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes, which is just enough time for you to cook some rice. When the fish is ready, remove from the oven and carefully unwrap the foil packet. There’s a lot of steam in there, and it will burn you, so act accordingly.

Yum. To serve, add a layer of rice to a plate then put the fish on the rice. The green beans go on the side, and the sauce that’s leftover in there is poured on top of everything.

That is an easy, balanced meal that came together in under 30 minutes. You did that! This tilapia dish is healthy, fresh, and extremely flavorful. The fish is flaky and tender while the green beans taste fresh and slightly crunchy.

This meal was made for Summer, which is good because it seems it is upon us. That means warm, breezy days and writing outside. That means savoring what you want to savor and letting go of the rest. It means easy, healthy meals and less than the normal amount of dishes in the sink. It means making the most out of an extra day off work, because it reminds us of when we were kids and got 60 extra days off work. Summer is the best.

Here’s the recipe!

Baked Asian Tilapia with Green Beans(Adapted heavily from Epicurious)I made mine to serve one, but you can double or triple the recipe as needed

Ingredients

1 4-ounce tilapia filet

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cloves garlic minced

2 green onions, white and light green parts only, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Sriracha (less if you don’t like spice)

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 pound green beans, trimmed

1 cup cooked rice

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with two sheets of foil, overlapping.

Place fish and green beans in the middle of the two sheets of foil. Fold up the sides to create a boat of sorts, so to keep the sauce inside.

Mix ginger, garlic, green onions, cilantro, sriracha, honey, and soy sauce together in a bowl. Pour over fish and green beans, then wrap the foil around the fish and green beans to create a packet. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Meanwhile cook rice according to package directions.

When fish is done, remove from the oven and carefully open the packet, letting the steam escape. Add rice to a plate, then add the fish on top of the rice. Plate the green beans on the side, then pour the excess sauce from the foil packet over everything.